All praise be to Allah, we praise, seek His Help, and we ask His Forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah against the evils of ourselves and the evils of our actions, whom Allah guides no one can mislead him and whoever has been misled no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwâ’ (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allâh through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 1].
“O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” [Surat Al Hashr: 18].
The best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the worst matters are the innovated, and every innovation is an error. Allah created humans and jinn for worshipping Him. “And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [Surat Az-Zariyat: 56].
And conditioned for accepting the acts of worship to be done exclusively for Him. “And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.” [Surat Al Isra’: 23].
So, Allah commanded His Servants not to associate anyone with Him in worship. The matter is not based on the frequent acts of worship a person performs, but on showing sincerity to Allah. The greatest matter which Allah commanded us with is not to associate anyone with Allah in worship, therefore the winners are the people of sincerity. `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud(may Allah be pleased with him) said: “When the following Ayah was revealed: “It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allâh),” [Surat Al An`am: 82].We said: O Messenger Allah, Who amongst us (is so fortunate) that he does not wrong himself? He said: It is not as you say, for ‘wrong’ in the Verse and do not confuse their belief, with wrong means ‘SHIRK’ (i.e. joining others in worship with Allah). Have not you heard Luqman‘s saying to his son: ‘O my son! Join not others in worship with Allah, verily joining others in worship with Allah is a great wrong indeed.'” [Surat Luqman: 13].[Reported by Al Bukhari (3360) and Muslim (124)].
That was hard on the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) when they understood that oppression means sinful actions which no one is free of them, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained to them that the real oppression is what goes against monotheism. Polytheism is the major of all sins. `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) What is the greatest sin in the sight of Allah? He said: That you set up a rival unto Allah though He Alone created you. I said: That is indeed a great sin. I said: “What is next?” He said: To kill your son lest he should share your food with you. I asked: “What is next?” He said: To commit illegal sexual intercourse with the wife of your neighbor.” [Reported by Al Bukhari (4477) and Muslim (86).
Polytheism is an aggression against the status of Al Uluhiyyah (Allah’s Exclusive Right to be worshipped), as it equates between a creature and its Creator. Therefore, polytheism is not forgiven but needs a sincere repentance to remove its impact. “Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allâh in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 48].
Who is secure of minor and major disbelief while the Awliya’ (pious people) of Allah fears for themselves of it? “And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) said: “O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) one of peace and security, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.” [Surat Ibrahim: 35].
We invoke our lord to make us avoid polytheism and to follow the leaders of Muslims. Let us say: O Allah, we seek refuge in You against associating something we know with You in worship and we seek Your Forgiveness for the things which we do not know. Abu Musa Al Ash`ary (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a speech on day and said: “O people, fear Allah and avoid that Shirk (polytheism), for it is more hidden than the crawl of ants. Thereupon, a man said: How do we avoid it while it is more hidden than the crawl of ants, O Messenger of Allah? He said: Say: Allahumma Inna Na`udhu bika min An Nushrika bika Shay’an Na`lamuh wa Nastaghfiruka Lima La Na`lamuh.” [Reported by Imam Ahmad (19109) with an authentic chain of narration].
The most fearful thing which the Prophet (peace be upon him) feared most for his Companions was hypocrisy. Mahmoud ibn Labid narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most fearful thing I fear for you is the minor Shirk. People said: What is the minor Shirk, O Messenger of Allah? He said: Hypocrisy, when Allah shall say to them on the Day of Recompense when the people are rewarded for their actions: Go to the people whom you used to seek their pleasure in the world and see will you find reward for you with them?” [Reported by Imam Ahmad: 23119, and its narrators are trustworthy]. If the Prophet (peace be upon him) feared of hypocrisy for the Companions despite they are the best of this nation, the less are more worthy to fear it. A worshipper seeks with his acts of worship the pleasure of Allah as well as the praise of people for his actions, so his actions shall be null and void. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism.” [Reported by Muslim 2985]. Such a person has lost and his efforts were wasted, so he only exhausted himself when he asked for the praise of people. Jundub ibn `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He who lets the people hear of his good deeds intentionally, to win their praise, Allah will let the people know his real intention (on the Day of Resurrection), and he who does good things in public to show off and win the praise of the people, Allah will disclose his real intention (and humiliate him). [Reported by Al Bukhari 6499 and Muslim 2987]. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favors He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.’ Allah will say: `You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous; and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur’an will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favors He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.’ Command 
will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favors He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I did not neglect any of the ways You liked wealth to be spend liberally for Your sake’. Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.” [Reported by Muslim 1905], so they entered Hell when they wanted the praise of people for their righteous actions.
The second sermon
The Lawgiver (Allah) likes the hidden acts of worship if showing them has no benefit. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Allah will give shade to seven on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.” [Reported by Al Bukhari 660 and Muslim 1031].
Of the seven kinds of people whom Allah shall cover with His Shade on the Day of Resurrection is the one who conceals his secret and the one who cries out of Allah’s Fear.
Let us fix some acts of worship at home for it is a good training for souls to obtain sincerity.
As we purify our bodies before every Salah, we should purify our actions from hypocrisy as well.
Let us hold ourselves accountable, are all actions we do solely for Allah or people shall have a share of it? Purification of the heart from any hypocrisy is more important and greater than purification from filth.
The purpose of the acts of worship is to get ready for the Hereafter and a worshipper should seek with his actions the pleasure of Allah, but if a person associates others with Allah in intention, the matter will be of two cases:
1- To seek a moral benefit: A person performs the acts of worship for the sake of Allah and seeks the pleasure of the people by the movements to get their praise or a position; and that is the hypocrisy we were talking about.
2- To seek a material benefit: By getting money or something else because people are of three types:
A- One cares only for the world without paying attention to the Hereafter, and that is a disobedient and shall be punished but he is not a hypocrite. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks Islamic knowledge only for worldly gain, he would not even smell the scent of Paradise on the Day of Judgment.” [Reported by Imam Ahmad 8252 and others with a good chain of narration].
B- One seeks the Hereafter and the world, so he wants the reward from Allah and wants to gain a worldly benefit such as the people who accept positions for the reward and the money they take from this position. Or the one who seeks the Shari`ah knowledge to understand religion and to take the certificate by which he shall get a job or the one who fights for the sake of Allah to get the reward or the one who fasts as an act of worship and a diet. In all these cases, it is permissible for him to do so because of the Hadith that was reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: A man came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: I have contracted marriage with a woman of the Ansar, whereupon Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Did you cast a glance at her, for there is something in the eyes of the Ansar? He said: I did cast a glance at her, whereupon he said: For what (dower) did you marry her? He said: For four Uqiyas. Thereupon Allah’s Prophet (peace be upon him) said: For four Uqiyas; it seems as if you dig out silver from the side of this mountain (and that is why you are prepared to pay such a large amount of dower). We have nothing which we should give you. There is a possibility that we may send you to an (expedition) where you may get (booty). So he sent that man (in the expedition) which was dispatched to Banu ‘Abs. [Reported by Muslim 1424].
So, seeking the worldly benefit along with having the intention for worship is permissible and not part of hypocrisy, but it contradicts the perfection of sincerity.
C: One seeks the Hereafter only, so the one who teaches the Qur’an, pronounces Adhan, or leads the people in Salah who intends to make it for the sake of Allah shall have the benefit of the world as well as the reward of the Hereafter.